Plum tomatoed

The weather is nasty in Nashville tonight, so I’m relishing in the final days of tomato season with a spicy roasted tomato and red pepper soup.

So easy (recipe below.) And it fills my little hut with the sweet aroma of slow-roasting vegetables.

And speaking of tomatoes, I meant to post about the Tomato Art Fest, my favorite festival in the ‘hood that takes place every August. But in the super-speedy world of cyberspace, August was practically the Reagan era, so I won’t dwell. Just the highlights…

It was hot. This man has ice in his beer.

This guy is dressed like a tomato.

Tiny tomato?

The Tomato Art Fest is a prime example of how food can bring people together. Lots of non-East Nashvillians even risked robbery to cross the river and hang with us! I shared these cupcakes with two strangers at 3 Crow Bar. Sanitary? No. But a lovely moment over cake and beer.


But my favorite parts actually happened leading up to the festival. A tomato and wine tasting at Rumours East…



My friend Jaime perfecting her bloody mary recipe for 3 Crow’s Bloody Mary contest.

And then the tasting...

Jaime's Miso Merry had an Asian vibe – sassy ginger (among other secret ingredients) with a black sesame seed rim. BRILLIANT! But since she won last year, the judges totally caved for a subpar entry. Talk about robbery!

I made these Green Tomato and Gruyere tartlets, adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook for a Food Security Partners bake sale.



"Eat a delicious tomato and dance with me." So says the song...

Spicy Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

(adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)

Coat a roasting pan with some olive oil. Add some quartered tomatoes, onions and red pepper (Cooking for one, I like this ratio: 2 tomatoes, 1/2 a pepper, 3/4 an onion.) Throw in a couple cloves of garlic. S&P. Then roast for about 40 minutes on 350 degrees (I have to go a little longer at a lower temp on the toaster oven). Then puree with vegetable stock and add spices to your liking. Heidi calls for smoked paprika, but I'm not a huge fan of that spice. So I go with red pepper flakes.